Firefighters tend to have their own version of an immunity challenge: Do the dishes in the firehouse when it's your turn and you won't get stuffed in a locker. With that kind of training, is it any wonder that Tom Westman, the lieutenant of Brooklyn's Ladder Company 108—and the runaway winner of Survivor: Palau—emerged as one of the show's strongest contestants ever? "I knew Tom was going to win," says runner-up Katie Gallagher. "No one could win against Tom. He's like Robo-Tom. He's not human." For sure, Westman—who relied on a blend of athleticism and decency—seems too good to be true. Born in Queens, he followed his father into the fire department and led his company during rescue efforts at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. Married for 13 years to Bernadette, 37, a nurse, he signed up to battle for Survivor's $1 million prize so he could have enough to send their three children (Meghan, 9, Declan, 7, and Conor, 5) to college. "For a couple in our position, everything is about making it to the end of the month, so we're both enjoying the sense that 'Wow, things just got easier,'" says Westman, 41, who lives in Sayville, N.Y. "But I don't want this to be life-changing, I want it to be life-enhancing. I'm kind of happy with the life I have."